Silent Watcher
by Alexandra198
Summary: Aberforth always had an eye out for Albus and his schemes, as it turns out this was for the best. Now how was Aberforth going to fix Albus' mistakes? With time travel and Luna Lovegood the future changes for the better. Tom and Harry never knew how their lives changed.


Aberforth watched Albus from the shadows waiting for the mistake.

Albus Dumbledore in all his infinite wisdom always made a fatal mistake...and Aberforth waited.

Aberforth may not have been the cleverest of minds nor the best of people to talk to but he was certainly not stupid, in fact he was clever just not enough to be noticed next to Albus. Aberforth observed.

He saw the darkness to Grindelwald long before the confrontation but he also saw the look of shame, regret, burning passion and a fanatical gleam Grindelwald had on his face when he left their house with a fleeting look towards Albus' own shocked one.

Aberforth was the first to observe the overwhelming consuming passion devour Albus and Gellert. Aberforth knew Ariana's little ticks that showed she was happy, confused, concerned, agitated, bored or melancholy just as he knew Albus'.

During the war against Voldemort Aberforth watched Albus' meddling with the two families, the Potter's and the Longbottom's. Aberforth heard the prophecy when he dragged the Death Eater listening out of the pub. Aberforth listened to the charms he had placed that recorded the interview and heard what neither Albus nor the spy did. After Albus had gone from the interview Trelawney had stayed for another drink, another part of the prophecy was born. Known to no one but Aberforth.

Aberforth heard the true prophecy in its entirety:

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..._

_Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies..._

_And the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not..._

_And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live as the other survives..._

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._

_Whether he stays in the time period born in depends on the meddler and the silent watcher, the moon shall guide the way..._

_If sent to help the young Dark Lords aspirations both may achieve previous unknowns..._

_Both work together, the prophecy voids, both Dark and Light shall fail bringing a new era..._

_Grey shall prevail and new heights reached, magic shall endure the ravages of time under the new rule..._

_Time shall bend to the wishes of the silent under a shadowed moon sacrifice, what is needed will be done while the moon weeps for the lost."_

He pondered the words carefully, silently wondering what the meddler would do with the piece of prophecy heard before he ran to see the identity of the spy.

Aberforth decided to wait and see not doing anything and hoping good things would come from Albus' manipulations but not holding his breath. Aberforth decided research was in order.

Albus meant well of that Aberforth had no doubts but sometimes the people caught up in Albus' plans suffered, Albus was slightly too blind or naive to see the depths of depravity some people could sink into.

Aberforth mentally berated his brother. The wizarding so called saviour was far too small and thin and he didn't seem to like touch, something that sent alarm bells to Aberforth. Not to mention Aberforth had heard Lily sadly mourn her sister's inability to accept her and the magic due to her jealousy.

Harry Potter seemed awkward in the presence of his peers and defensive. Forming a defence club was smart but too little too late, not that Aberforth blamed the students. It was the adults that made mistakes, including himself and it was the adults who should be dealing with the war, not adolescent children.

Aberforth decided he would wait for another two years.

The two years passed slowly. More and more deaths numbered. Olivander hadn't been seen for months along with Luna Lovegood, Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hestia Jones, Ginevra Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Minerva McGonagall and many others Aberforth didn't know. Aberforth suspected (quite strongly) that they were being kept prisoner and tortured.

Neville Longbottom was leading the resistance with Harry Potter trying to save his friends and colleagues along with Severus Snape.

Diagon Alley fell not long after the ministry did too with many members being killed for refusing to bow down to Voldemort. Albus was killed by a slow acting poison. Hogwarts fell and the death toll reached the thousands. The muggles were catching on as the conspiracy theories gained credence.

Harry broke Luna Lovegood, Mad-Eye Moody and Remus Lupin out from the Dark Lords manor and turned up with them near to the Leaky Cauldron after he had been captured and tortured for months. Aberforth quickly drew them in and to his quarters that were warded tighter than Hogwarts. Harry was pale and shaking muttering to himself blodd streaked down his face and purple bruises under his eyes, shock, Aberforth thought to himself grimly.

Luna Lovegood was thin to the extreme, bones jutting out, protruding eyes glazed with fatigue and pain but retaining their dreamy quality. Mad-Eye Moody and Remus Lupin looked even worse, their limbs shaking from the curses, wounds leaking a mixture of pus and blood, faces gaunt, eyes shadowed.

Aberforth quickly healed them to the best of his abilities then gave them all sleeping draughts. Luna set hers un-drunk on the table staring at Aberforth's left ear intensely. Just as the silence was becoming unbearable and the stare greatly uncomfortable Luna spoke. "It is time to send the warrior child home to his equal. Once enemies will become friends and balance restored." Aberforth started and eyed Luna.

"The sacrifice is ready, but the moon not." Aberforth replied succinctly. The moon wasn't in the shadowed stage yet, in fact it was full.

Luna smiled serenely and the shadows lengthened enveloping her features as they took on a grey cast becoming more fey like and more ethereal, less human.

Aberforth almost gasped. Luna, the moon.

"My time is near as is yours, come." Luna commanded. Aberforth took in her steely gaze and nodded. He placed Harry on the grass outside and drew the runes in salt and his blood before chanting over it all the remaining blood being charmed into a silver bowl with enigmatic runes engraved on. Luna stood over the bowl holding it within her hands speaking lowly.

Just as Aberforth breathed his last in the circle next to Harry he caught sight of the moon. The white orb shone brightly illuminating the slight girl, turning her hair silver and her eyes shone brightly while glistening tear tracks ran down her face. Tears sloshed into the bowl of blood and a light sheen came to the surface.

Aberforth watched as he drew in his last breath.

Luna sank to the floor tears still streaming, slight frame quivering as she poured her magic and energy into the circle before she collapsed chest unmoving.

A bright light appeared and Harry was gone. Gone to an orphanage in London, no bigger than a toddler, mind completely, blissfully, blank. A clean slate was what awaited Harry Potter when he awoke on a doorstep outside an orphanage in 1928 two years after Tom Marvolo Riddle had been birthed there.

Aberforth Dumbledore and Luna Lovegood watched from the in-between worlds as the new events of the world unfolded. Their presence in the ritual meant that the forms they had when the ritual took place survived as less than a ghost only able to observe until Harry Potter, newly christened, died. Then they would cease to exist just like the rest of the world from their timeline.

They watched as throughout their stay at the orphanage Harry and Tom drew close together, as close as brothers. Aberforth and Luna watched Tom and Harry's discoveries about the strange abilities they had and their various misdeeds although they seemed tamer this time round. It seemed having companionship did alter Tom for the better. Tom also had an effect on Harry, Harry was less moral but not quite as bad as Tom. They grounded one another, you no longer got a lost feeling from either of them, they were complete.

Aberforth and Luna watched as Tom and Harry got their Hogwarts letters brought to them by Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore seemed suspicious of the two but less so than the first time.

The years went by Tom and Harry grew closer learning all they could from the library at Hogwarts and as many other books they could lay their hands on. Tom and Harry were top of the hierarchy within Slytherin by fourth year, their knowledge of spells, their power and their political ease exceptional. Tom made Harry try to exceed expectations; Tom made Harry use his brain.

It seemed this time round with Harry so eager to learn and Tom there to instruct on anything he found difficult Harry passed everything with flying colours. Tom and Harry were at the top of every leader board and Harry also on the one for quidditch. Harry became the seeker in his third year but stopped after his fifth year so he could study for his NEWTs.

Harry and Tom's political base started small, just within Slytherin, but by seventh year teachers and students alike no matter from which house were included- some of their parents as well.

They left school and headed immediately into politics quickly rising up the political ladder making more and more contacts. Every summer they took two months off and went travelling around the world. Tom after a few years became the prime minister for wizarding Britain and Harry his secretary in name. In reality they both did half the paper work for the prime minister each and shared out the social obligations neither of them was fond of.

Their changes began subtle but slowly different laws came together and people found themselves voting for it without realising how it came together to give creatures more rights, dark magic just as free a reign as light magic and slowly closing off from the muggle world. They improved understanding of muggles and the technology invented and gave muggleborns more standing showing their magic was more powerful than when purebloods interbred so much that all that would be left was squibs.

Aberforth and Luna smiled as they looked at the happier, more free wizarding world.

They saw Sirius Black as a student looking free and greeting his parents happily, Regulus at his side. They saw Remus Lupin walking around a proud smile on his face when going to meet the pack he stayed with during the full moon. They saw Severus Snape come to Hogwarts looking clean and healthy, the background checks on magical students home life had saved more than a few children from horrific childhoods, they saw Severus become the youngest ever potions master before he married and had two children. They saw Rubeus Hagrid go around and less derogative glances were bestowed. They saw the Weasley children better clothed and equipped for Hogwarts, Ron had his own wand; people were paid a small allowance when they had children like in the muggle world.

They saw happiness in all the faces that had suffered before. Not everyone was completely happy but that is life.

Tom and Harry were voted back as prime minister again and again, although it alternated who was the actual prime minister and who was the secretary. People got used to seeing them both as the prime minister and even suggested they make it so there wasn't one prime minister but two at once.

After a long (and expanded) life span both Harry and Tom died roaming the lands of the dead happily in each others company.

Aberforth and Luna simply disappeared and none were the wiser. Apart from an elderly woman who also bore the name Luna Lovegood but was alive, truly, she nodded to herself as she felt them disappear and wept tears of bittersweet joy.


End file.
